This invention relates to a travelling fiber bale opener for detaching fiber tufts from fiber bales such as cotton fiber bales, synthetic fiber bales or the like. The bale opener has an opening device which has at least one opening roller (detacher) mounted in a housing and the fiber tufts torn from the fiber bale are removed from the zone of the opening roller by means of a suction duct which has two transverse walls oriented transversely to the travelling direction of the bale opener and extending over the entire width of the opening device, generally parallel to the axis of the opening roller. A tuft-conveying suction air stream is passed through the suction duct.
In a known apparatus, within the housing there are arranged an opening roller and a generally tubular suction duct. Fresh air is drawn in from the zones where the opening roller and the suction duct project bilaterally and horizontally beyond the fiber bales. The transverse walls of the suction duct terminate at a distance above the bale surface. In this manner, between the lower edge of the transverse walls and the upper surface of the bale a vertical gap is present through which additional fresh air is drawn in.
It is a disadvantage of the above-outlined prior art constructions that by virtue of the additional air intake, the entire air velocity drops within the suction duct, resulting in a reduction of the removal efficiency.